History · Year 1 · Toys and Play Through Time · Autumn Term

The Role of Games in Different Eras

Investigating traditional games played indoors and outdoors, comparing them to modern digital games.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory

About This Topic

Exploring the role of games in different eras helps Year 1 children understand changes within living memory, a key aspect of KS1 History. Students investigate traditional outdoor games like hopscotch, tag, and skipping, alongside indoor games such as spillikins or draughts. They compare these to modern digital games on tablets or consoles, noting differences in equipment, rules, and social interaction. Through this, children answer questions about past and present play, preferences, and reasons for changes, such as technology and space availability.

This topic connects history with personal experiences, fostering skills in chronological understanding, comparison, and evidence-based discussion. Children learn that games reflect eras: simpler materials in the past versus screens today. Group sharing of family stories adds relevance, building empathy for past children's lives.

Active learning suits this topic perfectly. When children physically play traditional games or act out digital ones without screens, they grasp differences through direct experience. Role-playing eras or debating preferences in pairs makes abstract change tangible and sparks lively, memorable discussions.

Key Questions

1. What games do children play outside today, and what games do you think children played outside long ago?
2. How are games you play on a screen different from games you play outside?
3. Which do you prefer , playing outside or playing on a screen , and why?

Learning Objectives

• Compare traditional games played by children in different eras with modern digital games.
• Identify changes in the types of games played over time, referencing family members' experiences.
• Explain how technology has influenced the nature of children's games.
• Classify games as indoor or outdoor based on their requirements and typical play setting.

Before You Start

Identifying People and Events in the Past

Why: Students need a basic understanding of the concept of 'past' and 'present' to compare games from different times.

Basic Communication Skills

Why: Students must be able to describe their own experiences and listen to others to share information about games and preferences.

Key Vocabulary

Traditional Games	Games that have been played for a long time, often without electronic devices, using simple equipment or just imagination.
Digital Games	Games played on electronic devices like computers, tablets, or game consoles, often involving screens and controllers.
Indoor Games	Activities played inside a building, typically requiring less space and often involving smaller equipment or board games.
Outdoor Games	Activities played in an open space outside, usually requiring more room to move and often involving physical activity.
Living Memory	Events or experiences that people alive today can remember or have heard directly from older relatives.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Games from the past were not fun or exciting.

What to Teach Instead

Many children assume old games lacked thrill due to simple props. Playing them actively reveals joy in movement and invention. Group rotations let peers cheer successes, shifting views through shared laughter and energy.

Common Misconception

Digital games are always better than traditional ones.

What to Teach Instead

Students often favour screens without trying alternatives. Hands-on stations expose physical benefits like fresh air and teamwork. Debates in pairs help articulate balanced preferences, using evidence from play.

Common Misconception

All games have stayed the same over time.

What to Teach Instead

Children may think rules never change. Timeline walks with mime comparisons highlight evolutions, like tag variants. Collaborative charting corrects this by pooling family evidence.

Active Learning Ideas

Stations Rotation: Traditional Game Stations

Set up stations for hopscotch (chalk outlines), tag variants, skipping ropes, and spillikins with sticks. Groups rotate every 10 minutes, playing each game and noting rules on clipboards. End with a share-out comparing to digital games.

45 min·Small Groups

Pairs Debate: Old vs New Games

Pairs list one traditional and one digital game they know, then debate pros and cons using sentence stems like 'Outdoor games need... but screen games...'. Switch partners midway for new ideas. Record key points on a class chart.

30 min·Pairs

Whole Class Timeline Walk

Create a floor timeline marked 'Past' to 'Now'. Children add drawn or described games with dates from family input. Walk the timeline, pausing to mime games and discuss changes.

35 min·Whole Class

Individual Game Design Challenge

Each child designs a game blending old and new elements on paper, explaining materials and rules. Share in a gallery walk, voting on favourites.

25 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Toy historians and museum curators at the V&A Museum of Childhood in London research and preserve examples of toys and games from different periods to help the public understand how children's lives have changed.
• Game designers create new digital games for consoles like Nintendo Switch or PlayStation, considering how children play today and what might be popular in the future.
• Parents and grandparents share stories about games they played as children, such as marbles or hopscotch, providing firsthand accounts of play from before widespread digital technology.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Show children pictures of different games (e.g., a tablet game, a skipping rope, a board game, a football). Ask them to sort the pictures into 'Indoor Games' and 'Outdoor Games' piles and explain their choices.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you are talking to a child from 50 years ago. What game would you teach them? What game would they teach you? What would be the biggest difference you notice?'

Exit Ticket

Give each child a worksheet with two columns: 'Games I Play Now' and 'Games My Grandparent Might Have Played'. Ask them to draw or write one game in each column and one sentence explaining a difference between the two.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this topic link to KS1 History standards?

It directly addresses 'changes within living memory' by comparing games from recent past, like grandparents' era, to today. Children use photos, family interviews, and play as evidence, practising historical enquiry skills like questioning and comparing sources in an age-appropriate way.

What resources work best for teaching traditional games?

Use free chalk for outdoors, everyday items like sticks or strings for indoors. Borrow from libraries: books like 'Childhood Games Through History' or online videos of 1950s play. Parent input via homework sheets provides authentic artefacts and stories, enriching comparisons.

How can active learning help students understand changes in games?

Physical play of traditional games contrasts screen-free action with digital isolation, making changes concrete. Stations and debates build ownership; children defend preferences with 'I felt...' evidence. This kinesthetic approach boosts retention and critical thinking over passive talks.

How to address key questions on game preferences?

Start with outdoor play surveys, then screen vs real debates. Use thumbs up/down voting and 'why' shares to explore reasons like 'friends' or 'easy'. Family homework ties personal choice to historical shifts, deepening relevance.